Which do you prefer - Demolition or Construction?

 

It has been a little over two years since we moved here to Bluffton to open “The Meeting Place.” This was a part of the DEMOLITION to get to where we are today. I am much more of a “demolition”  person than a construction person. I especially dislike finish work. (That might be why the floor trim is still not done here at The Meeting Place. LOL!

I have a strange mind. Because all I can think about when reading the story of the paralytic that was healed by Jesus is how much work it was to dig through the roof. I was thinking of the mess it would make and what the people, Jesus included, thought about while it was going on. Think about it! As they are digging through the roof there would be a mess dropped right on anyone sitting below the demolition.

 “…While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’” (Mark 2:2b-4)

I just feel like Jesus had to have a little grin on his face when he told the man his sins were forgiven. He knew the response he was going to get. But, he had a clear purpose. He wanted to proclaim to everyone, WHO he was. There should be no question, HE WAS PROCLAIMING TO BE GOD! He knew and everyone else knew only GOD can forgive sins. He was making a powerful statement and he knew the penalty for such a claim was death. The “sentence” was administered on the cross! This story was all a part of the master plan. Later, as Jesus was driving the money changers out of the Temple, he declared the Jewish leaders could tear the temple down and he would rebuild it in three days. They protested because they did not realize he was talking about his body, NOT the Temple Building. His body was destroyed and YES, he rebuilt that Temple in three days! (John 2:18-20)

Jesus is more about restoring people. He is more about construction over demolition. As a matter of fact, he did not tear down individuals. He restored people, restoring them to right relationship with him! Jesus is our example. We should be more about restoring lives in Jesus than tearing them down. To God be all the praise and glory! 

We should also be more about building people up, restoring lives, directing them to Jesus. Instead I see many of my brothers and sisters tearing down people, judging and worse of all “condemning” people. We do not have the right. We do not have that authority, only God does. He told Nicodemus the same thing later in Mark. What are you doing to build people up? What are you doing to restore them to a right relationship with God. 

Our finished product:

Dear Father in Heaven, We praise you for a life restored. We praise you for a life that has been rebuilt, born again, through the power of Jesus. Please help us to continue to spread your restorative power to a hurting world. Praise God for each saved life. AMEN!